Sherman R. Frederick/Publisher
You can’t look at how we exited Afghanistan and say, “Hey, that went about as well as expected.”
I’ll let people who know more about military strategy and tactics comment on how we ended up defending a civilian airport in Kabul with the Taliban surrounding all entrances and exits. That could not have been Plan A. Or, Plan Z. I do not believe for one second that all the king’s men agreed with President Biden’s decisions during this operation.
But, like I say, I’ll let others make the case, which I am sure will happen in the coming months.
What I can talk about is the job President Biden did in telling the truth to the American people during the unfolding crisis. Simple details — like how many Americans actually remained behind enemy lines — seemed beyond the president and the state department. The State Department said over and over and over again that they were in constant contact with all stranded Americans. Yet, they could not give us the number? That doesn’t square.
President Biden said Al-Qaeda was gone from Afghanistan, only to be corrected by his own people 12 hours later. The president said 90% of Americans got out. That number was later corrected to 98%. Kind of a key number to screw up, no? He also told us the Afghan army was well trained and ready to fight off the Taliban. Reports from Reuters news agency now show that President Biden, in fact, had serious doubts about that, yet he proceeded with his plan anyway.
I honestly don’t know why the president keeps trying to sell us on what a good job he did. It was a lousy job by any measure not the least of which is this:
He left people behind. Unforgivable.
BEST AMERICAN INTERVIEWER
The best long-interviewer in America, Joe Rogan, came down with COVID last week. It looks like a mild case but here’s hoping for a quick recovery. In my humble opinion, Rogan is the best interviewer on the planet. His podcasts last hours. But, I promise you, they will suck you in and make you a more informed citizen. If you want to give him a try, may I suggest his interview with Marin’s favorite son, Elon Musk. You’ll finish that interview thinking: “Wow, maybe the human race is going to make it after all.”
KUDOS SAN RAFAEL COPS
Kudos to the San Rafael Police Department for jumping all over the potentially violent union strife within the Golden Gate Bridge district. It would have been easy to simply chronicle the events of Aug. 16 and chalk it up to a heated union dispute.
Except for one thing: On May 26 an employee of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Agency bus center in San Jose went to work pissed off and shot and killed nine of his coworkers. He then killed himself.
The San Rafael flyers, which were signed by the “The Pro Union Posse,” minced no words about killing non-union workers. It read:
“Union Tradition, when dealing with Freeloading Scabs, is to rid them from our midst, by any means necessary, e.g. Exterminate….. Exterminate ….. Exterminate.”
Several people are believed to have been involved in posting the flyers. One person was a longtime Marin employee of the district. He’s been fired and presumably will face criminal charges when San Rafael completes its investigation. (He has not been identified.)
The investigation as of last week proceeded full speed ahead. Detectives believe others were involved. Let’s get ‘em identified and dealt with firmly and appropriately. We do not want a repeat of what happened in San Jose.
ONE MORE THING
— I apologize in advance for this, but did you know they gave the soft drink Tab to Mormon kids along with an apple as a treat for singing in church? It was called the Mormon Tab and Apple Choir.
— I just got a job at a bicycle assembly plant. I am their new spokesperson.
— Be careful following the masses. Sometimes the “m” is silent.
Thanks for stopping by again. We had a slew of subscription renewals last week. Also, we welcome aboard new subscribers Jim, Elsa, Joan, Alan, Colleen, Ashley, Carol & Rick, Nancy and David. Until next week, please take the time to laugh a little, be kind in all that you do, and always question authority. Want to subscribe? See page 3A. Your support of hometown journalism is much appreciated!
(Sherman Frederick is a Hall of Fame journalist and publisher of Marin’s finest community newspapers. You can reach him by email at shermfrederick@gmail.com, or by phone at 415-408-1073.)
Leave a Reply